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If you missed the Reddit AMA from last week, here’s some of the highlights, as well as a few new questions sent to us via Twitter and Facebook.

Reddit AMA

Q: Will there be a new game plus mechanic?

Arkane: While players do not have the option to restart the game with all powers unlocked (that seems to be the standard definition for “game plus” these days), replayability was a major focus for our team with Dishonored’s development. As fans of games like Deus Ex, Thief, and Fallout 3, we want the player to be able to approach the game in different ways each time they play through. As such, players will never be able to unlock all abilities or try every option in one playthrough.

Q: Can the game be completed with zero kills? How long would a total stealth play-through take (average, estimate)?

Arkane: Yes, you can complete the game without killing anyone. (It was a goal of ours.) And the world reflects that to some extent.

The game is about 12-24 hours in length. The variance there is related to how directly you play (vs side quests, exploration, etc).

As players we’re always trying to do things we didn’t do last time. Our programmers were all trying to do crazy weird variants this week. “The Falling Angel playthrough,” where you only kill by using drop-assassination.

Q:Is Dishonored open world, or linear with a variety of options?

Arkane: No, Dishonored is not open world, it is mission based. Each mission is built as a mini sandbox, so the missions are open and offer several paths and approaches.

Q:Can you tell us about how player’s actions and Chaos affect the world and narrative? Is it pre-scripted or more dynamic like low and mid-level gameplay?

Arkane: It’s a bit of both. For most players, the effects over the course of the game will be fairly subtle. The mission checks the current level of Chaos so far and the following can happen: More pools of rats, more people with the plague (weepers), lines of dialogue/attitudes changed, additional scenes here and there, and different endgames. Things like the rat pools feel like “mid level gameplay” as you say. Lines of dialogue are obviously a scripted reaction.

There are two main endings, but each has variations based on who lived or died.

Some of the Chaos effects are meant to be ‘felt’ more than overtly identified as they’re happening.

While we’ve answered plenty of Dishonored questions this summer on Bethesda Blog, we realize there’s plenty more you want to know about the game. On Wednesday (3-7 PM EST), Harvey Smith and Raphael Colantonio will be answering community questions with an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit.

As the AMA starts on Wednesday, we’ll provide everyone with details on where they can submit their questions. In the meantime, you can learn more about Dishonored’s co-creative directors in articles up at Gamasutra and The Verge.

We’re pleased to announce that QuakeCon 2012, the ultimate video game festival, will kick off on Thursday, August 2nd with an annual keynote address given by John Carmack.

In addition to John’s keynote, this year’s QuakeCon will host a number of panel discussions featuring prominent members of the interactive entertainment industry. Attendees will be able to check out panels such as The Game of Making Games, Designing Multiplayer Games That Last, GameTrailers ‘Bonus Round’, and Idle Thumbs Podcast Live: Arena. Panelists will include Marty Stratton from id Software, Ted Price, President and CEO of Insomniac Games, Chet Faliszek and Tom Leonard from Valve Software, and Geoff Keighley, host of Spike’s GameTrailers.

The full line-up of panels and guest speakers will be announced in the coming days.

During the event, attendees will also have the opportunity to play Dishonored, the supernatural assassin action game under development at Arkane Studios, and DOOM 3 BFG Edition, the full collection of genre-defining games from id Software, in Bethesda’s booth in the Exhibit Hall.

I. Eat. Games – Raphael Colantonio talks about working with Viktor Antonov, non-lethal playthroughs, different endings, and more. To learn more about how decisions impact the game’s ending, read this article at The Escapist.

PC Gamer – “Experimentally, I clang my knife against a metal pipe. A second later, the guard comes running down the corridor, passes through the field, and disintegrates into floating, glowing dust. Wow.”

CVG – “What we’re really excited about is delving into a game that delivers bags of player freedom and immense prospects for experimentation, coupled with the tightly focused density of gameplay impossible in vast open world games.”

RipTen -“Dishonored’s earned its action-stealth label quite a few times over. The blend of skills along with Corvo’s array of weapons lends itself perfectly to either kind of play through.”

Telegraph UK – “What impressed most about about Dishonored was that the two scenarios were quite clearly two ends of a wide spectrum. How much creativity and impromptu adaptation exist within that range will determine the game’s success, and Arkane certainly appear to be offering an impressive palette with which to experiment. That thirst for invention and interpretation, coupled with the creeping atmosphere of Dunwall should make Dishonored a dark horse for the best game of 2012.”

Xbox 360 Achievements – “Our first hands-on taste of Dishonored was short, sweet and easy, but it was also utterly brilliant… if I do say so myself. There are so many more powers we could have used throughout the mission as well, including the whirlwind, and we did all that without so much as firing a bullet, just how we like it. And that’s the beauty of Dishonored: you can play it exactly how you want, whether that’s quiet, loud or a mix of the two.”

Oh, and the image above? That’s one of the latest updates from our Dishonored tumblr page. Visit the site regularly for concept pieces, animated GIFs, and other pieces that capture the the game’s unique flavor.

Developers from Arkane Studios return with new answers to your burning questions.

Q: I would like to know if you can take out a target while controlling someone? I was also wondering if you take over the target can’t you make him jump from the balcony then blink out of him to avoid the fall ? or is the only way to push him over with the other ability? (Exocd)

Arkane: When possessing humans, control is rudimentary. You can walk, open doors and collect things, but not fight. Note that your speed is dependent on what you possessed (i.e possessing a wolfhound will let you move around pretty fast)

Q: Does anybody know, if PC version will have normal FOV? (Kethoth)

Arkane: On PC, you can adjust FOV options in the menus from 65 – 85 degrees. For more PC settings, check outthis Bethesda Blog post.
Q:Will the game have subtitles or it will be in other language? (Charlie Pacheco)

Arkane: You can always turn on subtitles. And, the game will also be fully voiced in multiple languages.

Q: Will the game be separated by “levels” you will be able to choose from once you’ve completed them, like a campaign mode in FPS games? (Will Y.)
Arkane: Yes, the game is divided into missions, made up of multiple levels. After completing a mission, you can choose it from the main menu. It uses the very first save game from your play-through as a starting point.

Q: When performing your abilities, it looks like the blue bar on the top right corner is depleted. How do you regain your ‘mana/powers’ abilities – is it a time thing, is it by defeating enemies non-lethally (like earning marks in splinter cell conviction) or is it through collectibles in the world? (Matt)
Arkane: A small portion of the mana bar recharges, making Blink and Dark Vision effectively free to use (if you wait for the recharges). You refill the mana bar with a potion called Piero’s Spiritual Remedy, one of the elixirs that people in the world use to prevent the plague.

Dishonored is often referred to as an “immersive” game, and that can imply a lot of things — everything from a first-person perspective to, say, dynamic sound design. For Arkane, it means a commitment to all aspects of the word, and that involves the user interface.

While Dishonored features a robust interface to support its rich mechanics, it also affords you the option to tweak the UI for a fully immersive experience. In addition to the general gameplay options — which you can take a look at here — we wanted to reveal the full slate of interface options you’ll be able to enable and disable individually in all versions of the game, as well as some PC-specific features. Click through for the second page of the options, as well as some comparison screenshots.